Latest From Biotech Now

In order to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” the Congress must compromise and protect our economic future by cutting costs and raising revenue, without compromising our nation’s support for critical government programs. Programs vital to the health of our nation – quite literally – should not suffer dramatic cuts. Making cuts to these programs could actually cost our nation more in the long run. The unintended consequences could impact our economic health, as well as our Read More >

Ten years ago, in the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks, the U.S. government set out on a bold path to improve the country’s preparedness for bioterrorism by developing and stockpiling new drugs and vaccines to protect Americans from health emergencies. Individuals from both political parties – many who had experienced bioterror first hand – worked together to harness the power of innovative science and tackle this national security threat. The ten year initiative was Read More >

Product stewardship is a broad term applied across many industries, encompassing environmental, health, and safety concerns. Companies in each sector of the biotech industry (healthcare, agricultural, and industrial and environmental) have championed stewardship programs for many years – not just because it makes good business sense, but because they believe it is the right thing to do. Within the healthcare space, the impact of pharmaceuticals in the environment has become an issue of emerging debate. Read More >

By Eric K. Steffe, Eldora L. Ellison, Ph.D., Todd Spalding, and Deborah A. Sterling, Ph.D. For companies facing freedom-to-operate obstacles, the AIA provides a number of tools for dealing with troublesome patents. While proceeding at risk in the face of such patents sometimes make sense, inter partes review (IPR) provides a viable option for challenging them and should be considered as a valuable addition to one’s freedom-to-operate toolbox. Inter partes reexamination (IPX), which (bio)pharma used Read More >

A number of national newspapers ran an in-depth Associated Press article this week on the continuing saga of the AquAdvantage salmon and the challenge of its developer, Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies, to stay afloat. The fish, genetically engineered to reach market weight in half the time of a conventional salmon, is a sustainable answer to the world’s demand for high-quality seafood protein, but its application for approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remains Read More >